St Thomas’ Church

St Thomas’ Church Mostyn Square, Parkgate, NESTON CH64 6SL

The sandstone church of St Thomas, known as the Fisherman’s Church, was built in 1843 as a Congregational chapel. In 1858 it became a Presbyterian church until the Church of England took it over in 1910 and named it after St. Thomas. The church was closed in 1994, having been declared structurally unsafe.

Parkgate has a population of some 4,000 people but it has no Community Hall or Heritage Centre. A survey showed the need for St Thomas’ to be preserved as a focal centre of the village for churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike.

In 2001 the Bishop’s Trust was formed under the patronage of the Bishop of Chester and, with the support of the Family and Friends of St Thomas, the Parkgate Society and the Parkgate Preservation Trust, works in partnership with the community and with the Vicar of the Parish of Neston, of which St Thomas’s is a part.

The objectives of the Trust were to repair and make the building safe, then to renovate and equip the interior for use, not only as a place of worship but also as a much needed community centre for people of all faiths and denominations, who live and work in Parkgate.

A combination of cultural and leisure activities and the very special opportunity of returning Christian worship to the community, will provide a unique source of support and enrichment for families, people living alone, visitors and for local societies and special interest groups.

“St Thomas’ Church, Parkgate – A Short History” – Researched and written by Betty Jones. The third edition commemorates the official re-opening of the Church. (Available from the Church, The Parkgate Stores and Nichols Ice Cream Shop.)

The church was rededicated and reopened on Sunday 4 July 2010, by Right Reverend Dr Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester.

Sundays 9.30 a.m. either Eucharist or Sunday Praise, except for the 5th Sunday in the month a United Service in the Parish Church, Neston at 10.45 a.m., or St Michaels, Little Neston, or St Thomas´.

Sunday Praise services (informal worship for people of all ages) once a month